ABA Foundation Motorcoach Sales Report Shows Huge Drop in Sales Because of COVID-19

Today the American Bus Association Foundation (ABAF) released the First Quarter 2021 Motorcoach Builders Survey. Based on surveys of the major motorcoach manufacturers that sell vehicles in the United States and Canada, motorcoach sales from the participating manufacturers saw a drop of 52 percent in sales over the first quarter 2020. The biggest drop in sales came in the mid-sized bus (40-44-feet) dropping from 67 buses sold in 2020 to only 3 sold in the first quarter of 2021. Forty-five foot buses saw a decrease of 37 percent falling from 244 to 153 quarter over quarter. The small bus market saw a drop of 76 percent falling from 38 units to 9 units sold.

Pre-owned sales over the same period fell by 52 percent from sales in the first quarter of 2020 at 219 down to 105 in the first quarter of the 2021.

“The COVID pandemic not only decimated the bus companies but also the suppliers who service in the industry as well,” said Peter Pantuso, president of the ABA Foundation. “If buses are not running and industry companies are shuttering their businesses, then they are not buying buses. This effect will be felt by the supplier sector of the industry for some time as companies struggle to get back up and running with little help from the government.

“The bus industry is the greenest and most affordable transportation sector and was moving more than 600 million passengers annually before the pandemic. If the United States wants to rebound from the effects of the pandemic and get Americans working again, it needs to support the motorcoach industry and its suppliers.”

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About the Report

Data were collected by John Dunham & Associates for the American Bus Association Foundation. John Dunham & Associates is a leading New York City-based economic consulting firm specializing in the economics of fast moving issues. Data – which reflect updated results from prior reports – were collected by John Dunham & Associates for the American Bus Association Foundation.  Changes in data definitions and reporting occurred over the past quarter and are reflected in these figures.

About the ABA Foundation

The American Bus Association Foundation (ABAF) is the scholarship and research arm of the motorcoach, tour and travel industry. The largest non-profit in motorcoach group travel, the ABAF distributes $100,000 a year in scholarships to industry families and invests in research to demonstrate the important role motorcoach transportation plays in society. https://www.buses.org/aba-foundation